Eclipta prostrata

Botanical Description

Eclipta prostrata is an erect or prostrate, branching annual or sometimes short-lived perennial plant, growing 10 - 80cm tall. A popular herbal medicine in eastern Asia, where the plant is extensively harvested from the wild. It is also sometimes cultivated in Gabon as a pot-herb[ 317 Title Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants Publication Author Website http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Terse details of a huge range of useful plants. ]. The plant is also sometimes cultivated for the compound wedelolactone, which is used in the pharmaceutical industry[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ]. The plant is fast-growing and early flowering, able to produce 17,000 seeds from one plant. It has become a weed in many parts of the tropics and is often invasive[ 305 Title Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk Publication Author Website http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands. , 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ]. It is a very common weed of rice fields, sugarcane fields and coconut plantations[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ].